Race Street deaths turn key on safety review

The waiting area at the bus stop on eastbound Race Street at Cascade Drive… (DAN HARTZELL, THE MORNING…)

October 04, 2012|Dan Hartzell | The Road Warrior

Q: As a frequent traveler on Race Street, I long worried that something bad would happen one day regarding the people waiting for the bus at the roadside. First, there should have been a shelter there for people to wait in. Second, some of the folks at the stop often stood close to the road, even standing on the white lane lines, both eastbound and westbound. Every time I drove by I felt they were in danger and worried that something would happen. I'm very sorry about the tragedy and offer my deepest condolences to the families involved. However, no one should stand so close to the road.

— Janice Snyder, Catasauqua

Q: I pass by that bus stop on Race Street at Cascade Drive in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, and it is very narrow. I was saddened to see there was an accident there that claimed two lives. Would it be possible to have an indentation in the fence and provide a bus shelter for riders? Now there is no shelter, and you stand waiting for the bus very close to Race Street. The adjacent airport property has no runways nearby; the closest structures are hangars for private planes. Would it be possible for Lehigh Valley International Airport to give up a little land for the benefit of LANTA riders?

— John Pors, Bethlehem

A: There's been no indication from police that standing near the road had any bearing on the Sept. 10 accident that killed two and seriously injured two others. A motorist lost control and went off the road, police said, hitting four men waiting at the unsheltered eastbound stop — a narrow strip of sloping grass at the south berm, marked by a small bus-stop sign. We also know nothing of the waiting habits of the individuals who were hit; they may have been as careful as could be. Still, in a general sense, your points are well taken, Janice. Pedestrians should take all reasonable safety precautions, particularly when conditions are challenging.

As you noted in your recent letter to the editor, John, the waiting area on the south side of Race Street is narrow, which might seem to prevent people at the stop from positioning themselves safely back and away from the road. And in a sense, that's true: There's only 17 feet of space from the road's edge to the chain-link fence defining the airport property.

However, the terrain drops sharply, beginning only a few feet off the road's edge, before leveling off at the chain-link fence. I found it most comfortable to stand at the base of the fence, farthest from the road, because there are only two other choices: Standing on the slope (which would be ridiculous), or very close to the road. The space offers very little width, but the length is, in effect, unlimited.

Again, we don't know whether these deaths and injuries could have been avoided no matter where the victims stood. But some good might come of the tragedy if the stop can be made safer.

In response to your suggestion, John, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Executive Director Charles Everett Jr. said airport officials would be willing to support the installation of a shelter.

"We think it's a good idea, and we will do whatever we can to support the installation of a bus shelter," Everett said.

Good for them.

Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority Deputy Director Denis Meyers did not rule anything out, but said it's unlikely that a shelter, which basically consists of a steel framework with glass panels, would have prevented this particular tragedy. The shelters are not designed to withstand vehicle impacts, he said.

Fair enough. But a shelter would offer at least some physical protection, and also might serve as a visual deterrent for motorists who might otherwise drift toward an unmarked waiting area. In the same way that barriers on both sides of a lane tend to slow traffic as drivers intuitively react to the visual restriction, even a lightweight physical impediment such as a bus shelter could help keep traffic at bay.

Shelter designs and sizes vary widely, but a shelter on the east side of Race Street would need a concrete pad, and most LANTA shelters have electrical service for the illumination of advertising, which helps pay for maintenance, Meyers said (though he allowed that LANTA would consider a non-powered shelter for Race Street, if any of this would come to pass). Bottom line, with permits, installation and everything included, a shelter generally can cost $8,000 to $10,000, Meyers said.

As my colleague Bill Landauer reported last week, some people have suggested moving the Race and Cascade bus stop to a spot within the business park to the north, where most of those who use the stop work. That plan raises some speed bumps for LANTA, according to Meyers.